Even Soldiers Need Heroes
by Claire Violet Thorpe
Summary: Jasper is a soldier damaged by the war, and his only salvation is in the form of a broken and bitter Bella. Songfic. Gift for Puppymama0909 for FAGEtastic Four


FAGEtastic Four

Title: Even Soldiers Need Heroes  
Written for: Babypups/ Puppymama0909  
Written By: Claire Violet Thorpe  
Rating: T  
Summary/Prompt used: Lyrics- I'm Yours, The Script  
_You healed these scars over time_  
_Embraced my soul_  
_You loved my mind_  
_You're the only angel in my life_  
_The day news came my best friend died_  
_My knees went week and you saw me cry_  
_Say I'm still the soldier in your eyes_

Summary: Jasper is a soldier recovering from his injuries received when his convoy was attacked and deals with his friend James's death in that same attack. Bella is a hospice worker and the only person who sees past Jasper's scars. Can she break down the walls that he has built around him?

* * *

Bella Swan had saved his life.

It had been the worst day of Major Jasper Whitlock's life. The day that he found out that his best friend, Captain James Witherdale, and several of his men were killed in a roadside bombing while on duty in Afghanistan. And not only that, Jasper himself had barely recovered after his convoy was attacked by insurgents when it was returning to their base.

Upon his arrival in Forks, Washington, his parents, brothers, and friends all tried to reach out to him, to try to understand his pain, to try to comfort him. But none of their words would help him to feel better about his situation at all.

That was, until he met Bella Swan.

She was working at the hospice, bringing comfort to those who were in their final days of life. With so much exposure to the reality of death, Bella would be perfect in helping Jasper to deal with the grief of James's death and his own brush with death.

But it was more than that.

Bella had just come out of a bad relationship with a certain Jacob Black; apparently Jacob was bored with Bella's job and wanted her to quit and Bella refused on the grounds that Jacob was a slacker who could never hold down a job for very long. Plus, there were rumors that Jacob had cheated on Bella with the wealthy Rosalie Hale, which had sent Bella through the roof. As a result, she had sworn off men.

But when Major Jasper Whitlock walked into the hospice as a volunteer, she had trouble taking her eyes off of him.

Before the attack, Jasper had been one of the best-looking men living in Forks. Standing at nearly six feet, with brown eyes and golden brown hair, he had been the object of many a girl's affections and the envy of most of the guys there. but now, people were looking at him differently. The attack had marred his good looks, giving him scars that went from his face to across his body. It seemed that more people looked at him with pity and disgust them with desire. This had certainly hurt him, and he did his best to keep himself hidden from the world.

How could I have served my country and then be treated so poorly, he thought to himself as he sat alone in the waiting area. It was night and most of the volunteers had gone home. I would rather be dead than to live with these scars and the injuries.

Before he knew it, Jasper found himself weeping.

He had never truly wept before, not even when he attended James's funeral. But now, tears had poured from his eyes. Jasper felt alone in the world.

Or so, he thought.

Bella was getting ready to go home for the evening when she heard someone crying. Usually, she tried to be gone before the night staff came in, but for some reason, she found herself wandering towards the waiting area.

She never went into the waiting area at all.

But when she did, she saw a young man sitting in a chair with his head in his hands, sobbing. She did not know why, but she was ready to kick him out of the room. Instead, she said to him, "Why are you crying?"

Jasper looked up and saw Bella staring at him. She was of average height, with brown hair and brown eyes. He shook his head, wondering why on earth was she concerned for him. The way he saw it, Bella hardly ever spoke to anyone but the people spending their final days in the hospice.

He said, "What are you talking about?"

"You have been crying for a while now," said Bella. "Why are you crying?"

Jasper shook his head again and said, "It's none of your business."

"It is too my business," Bella said fiercely as she approached him. "I see you every day looking a bit gloomy."

"You have no right to know," Jasper snapped in anger as he got up and stormed away.

Bella gasped at what had just happened. She showed some degree of genuine concern for Jasper and he pushed her away. He must have seen how she treated the other workers at the hospice, especially the men, and concluded that she was cruel and unfeeling. She shook her head, determined to show him that she oddly be caring as well as tough.

For the next few days, weeks, and months, Bella attempted to reach out to jasper, to see the man beneath his debilitating scars, to put aside her opinions about men long enough to be able to carry on a decent conversation with him.

For all her efforts, Jasper kept trying to push her away from him, preferring to keep to himself and keep himself from revealing his feelings to her, let alone anyone. Despite that, jasper and Bella slowly found themselves getting along, even if they wouldn't admit that to themselves.

Then came the one day where Bella had asked him the one question that he had been dreading. "Why were you crying that night?"

"I was thinking about my friend James," said Jasper. "He was killed in a roadside attack. And for some reason, I was attacked as my convoy was returning to base. I thought that when I returned home, I would be greeted as a hero."

"Well, what happened?" said Bella.

"Did you seriously think that I would be treated as a war hero?" Jasper snapped in anger. "They all treated me as I was a delicate creature that would snap at any given opportunity. And not only that, the roadside attacks ruined my face! Once I was the object of many girls' affections, now people don't want to look at me at all!"

"That's so sad," Bella said by way of meaning.

"And the worst thing about it is that I just want to forget everything," said Jasper. "I want to forget it all. But I can't. It stays with me, invading my dreams, ruining my life, hurting me. I just want the pain to go away."

Jasper began to weep again, but this time, instead of pushing Bella away from him, she threw her arms around him and hugged him. Tears ran down her own eyes as well; she felt sorry for the young man whose life was forever ruined by an enemy's unchecked and reckless hate.

Bella said to him, "You truly are a hero, Jasper. Not all heroes are created in the heat of battle. Sometimes, the hero is the one who keeps going despite any obstacles that are in their way. You are a hero; you kept going even when it was easy for you to give up. You're a stronger person than you were before."

Jasper didn't want to believe her, but he knew that she was right. He truly was a hero. He had kept going despite his pain, grief, and injuries. He knew what it meant to be a solider.

But he didn't do it all alone; Bella was there to help him as he recovered, never giving up on him even as he pushed her away. She had helped him heal.

Bella had certainly saved Jasper's life.


End file.
